Authorities on Sept. 16 arrested five people suspected of operating a multimillion-dollar drug trafficking ring that used luxury private jets to ship more than 20,000 kilograms of cocaine—about 44,000 pounds—and more than $100 million in drug proceeds between Los Angeles and New York City.
The defendants were charged on a 10-count federal indictment alleging their participation in the drug trafficking ring.
Jamel Donald Levy, 52, of Brooklyn, New York; Bruce Adams, 50, of the Bronx, New York; and Cindy Rachel Imbert, 33, of Englewood, New Jersey, made their first court appearances Sept. 16 in New York district court.
Los Angeles residents Nohely Jimenez-Ruiz, 30, and Lorna Martinez, 42, also known as “Cookie,” made initial court appearances in Los Angeles on the same day.
Other defendants suspected of being involved in the operation are in federal custody, including alleged ringleaders David Rodriguez, 45, of Dumont, New Jersey; and Raymond O’Connell, 39, of New York City.
According to the indictment, Rodriguez and O’Connell allegedly directed the purchase and storage of bulk quantities of cocaine in Los Angeles for distribution on the East Coast over several years.
The crime operation allegedly operated from a fake jewelry store in the California Jewelry Mart in downtown Los Angeles. Prosecutors alleged that members of the operation shipped locked plastic cases concealing cocaine to New York City’s Diamond District using high-value freight forwarding companies. The freight companies specialized in shipping jewelry, precious metals, and fine art.
The cocaine was then allegedly redistributed by co-conspirators along the East Coast, according to prosecutors.
Authorities say Rodriguez and O’Connell directed the shipment of drug proceeds from New York to Los Angeles, where co-conspirators laundered the money and sent it to others inside the organization.
During the criminal investigation, at least 1,300 parcels were shipped between Los Angeles and New York by the organization, authorities reported. Of that total, more than 800 parcels of cocaine weighing more than 22 tons were shipped from Los Angeles to New York. The estimated wholesale value of the shipments is $315 million. Another 500 parcels were shipped from New York to Los Angeles, with a total declared value of more than $105 million.
During the investigation, law enforcement seized suspected drug proceeds of more than $2.8 million in cash and more than 725 kilograms—about 1,600 pounds—of cocaine. They also seized high-end cars and jewelry allegedly purchased by defendants using drug proceeds, according to prosecutors.
A sign outside a jewelry store in New York's Diamond District on March 6, 2007. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Rodriguez and O’Connell have been in custody since last year, prosecutors reported.
Each is charged with one count of engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise, one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine, four counts of distribution and possession with intent to distribute cocaine, one count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, and one count of money laundering.
If convicted on all charges, Rodriguez and O’Connell would face mandatory sentences of life in federal prison. The cocaine distribution charges carry a 10-year mandatory minimum prison sentence and a maximum sentence of life in prison. The money laundering counts are punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison.
Another defendant, Ronell Sweat, 47, of New York City, is serving a 15-year federal prison sentence after pleading guilty last year to a federal firearms charge.
Law enforcement is still looking for suspects Daniel Vega, 52, and Gregory Antonio Benitez, 40, both of New York City.
